1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to mounts and, more specifically, to camera mounts.
2. Description of the Related Art
Video conferencing systems for video conference calls have traditionally been of the set-top box format. The Polycom ViewStation and Tandberg 880 are two examples. These may be in the range of 13-17″ wide by 8-10″ deep and 6-10″ high. These set-top systems may be placed on a top surface of a display device (e.g., a cathode ray tube (CRT) based television). A camera in the video conferencing system may acquire video of the local participants during the video call to send to the remote conference sites. The local display device may in turn display video of the remote participants during the video call.
As large screen (32″-65″) HiDef televisions have become more popular, the television industry has been transitioning away from CRT based devices and moving toward plasma and liquid crystal displays (LCD) screens, which allow the display to be much thinner. Current plasma and LCD televisions may be as thin as 3-4″.
The top and back surfaces of the displays may not have a consistent shape or depth making it very difficult to place a camera on top of the display without it being very unstable and likely to fall off. One solution is to install a shelf above the display and place the camera on the shelf. However, that may mean the system cannot be moved around and may need to be permanently installed close to a wall that may be needed to mount the shelf.